By Betty Ceesay
His name is Barhama!!
The name Barhama was inspired by the prophet Ibrahima Nyass. According to the singer, he got inspired to adopt one of his namesakes’ nicknames as his artistic name because he felt it was a beautiful name and even better that he could still uphold an artistic name/title that still was his name.
The singer was named after the diviner Ibrahim Nyass himself who also was given the title Barhama by some of his followers meaning “the peace bringer/ the peace giver/ son of peace”. According to him, the meaning of the name later came to him that it meant peace which he as an advocate, and a singer stands for, and for this reason, he found it, even more, easier to fully embrace the name Barhama.
Barhama has been passionate about music since his childhood days. Though he face one problem which had to do with the uncertainty of whether this was what he wanted to do not until grade nine when he started spending time with a friend of his who was observant of his passion for music and also admitted that he could do something great of it started to encourage him to take a bold step towards his passion. This friend, according to Barhama, used to notify him about the beauty of his voice and how well he could sing, although he never believed or acknowledged his friend’s encouragement at the initial stage, he later took notice of himself and began to reconsider music. The singer’s first steps began with searching and deep digging into his potential, however, was able to come to the past due to the passion he already possessed for the art and finally concluded that he has the talent and what it takes to produce good music and That spot was the start for Barhama’s music career.
Getting into building his career, the singer draws motivation from his environment, two of his brothers who happened to be in the same crew as him which made things a little easier for him: starting with people he already knows. Further, the singer explained that he got lucky to have met a prominent man by the name of Gorrgui Zinyor who taught him many hidden sides of music beyond vocalizing on a microphone. He was taught musical ethics which included singing to inspire others, keeping a straight image of himself, and mostly protecting the name he beholds.
Ousu Njie Zinyore has been a major contributor to the singer’s growth which, according to the singer, resulted in his unusual image with his appearance, personality, and ways of doing things.
The singer has little time for how others view him and rather focuses on how he sees himself which he refers to as a cool person, trying to do right, inspiring people, and down to earth and these personalities have been a driver in taking him where he wishes to be. “I’m not concerned with how people view because if I expect them to see me in a specific way, and things happen the other way round, it might affect me therefore I don’t focus on such” explains the singer. Barhama describes himself as cool, social, and friendly and that he said is enough for him.
He went on to say that even if he had what it takes to, he would not change the perception of people towards him because he already made up an image of himself which although speaking from a humble opinion, he thinks he is good to go unless if he should add on better characters to become a better version of himself.
The singer explains that the journey to becoming an artist in the Gambia is not an easy one and continues that music itself is not easy. So much is required for a blow up from recording to shooting visuals and finally developing one’s self at a personal level which he said is even more critical because writers have to equip themselves with information for better lyrics etc. Every great achievement demands sacrifice and he says he will keep on doing what he’s doing because, despite the craziness et al, the journey remains interesting and educational: so much to learn, so many people to meet, so much to experience, etc all of which helps them understand different perspectives of people, know themselves, etc. And to top it all he describes the journey as cool and enjoyable although tough too.
The Gambian music industry needs a solidified structure and this according to the singer is what he feels should be worked on. “Our music industry isn’t as established as in other countries and among my dreams as a singer is to build a structure in the industry to an extent to merge bigger industries in other countries. From a musician’s point of view, the singer points to the higher concentration on the hyping than the real deal and adds that he wishes to remind his fellow artists of their roles in society, and national development. The things they sing about and their actions matter tremendously thus double thoughts are necessary for their wordings. He encourages his fellows to be mindful of the things they say and do and work towards adding value to society and helping in the growth of the people rather than destroying our culture and societal settings through the songs they sing. Another factor raised by Barhama on the things he would like to work towards in constructing a better Gambian music industry, the singer stated that musicians have a role to attract investors to the country. “Music is money” the singer stated and urges more focus on investments. Lastly, the singer calls on the government to consider the arts as a valuable tool to push the country’s economy forward. Music is not just for fun he started and emphasized that so much attention is given to tourism and little to arts yet it has a role to play especially since it has linkages to the culture of the country. Developing the artistic side is essential as it helps to sell the tourism industry and also moves the country to another level.
Barhama has multiple idols in the Gambian music industry. Osou Njie zinyor, Sona Jobateh, etc
Osou Njie’s “Fataleku Demba” seems to have a special place in the singer’s heart and he describes it as one of the greatest albums to have emerged from the smiling coast. The instrumentation, the concept, etc carry power and meaning in them yet it remains calm and soothing, this detail has been able to catch the singer’s attention.
Barhama started at Sanchaba primary and moved to Sukuta Upper Basic school for his middle school education and from there proceeded to Nusrat senior secondary school and was in the commerce field of study. After he graduated from high school, the singer spent two years figuring himself out and later enrolled in the travel and hospitality program and gained a certificate and diploma while doing music on the low. The singer and writer also engaged himself in numerous pieces of training on gender-based violence, peacekeeping, child protection, and many more. Barhama is well known for his advocacy for peace, he is a representation of peace, his songs demonstrate it, etc, and therefore consumed enough information about peacekeeping to be able to impact more lives as he wishes.
The singer since the beginning of his music career has released one album. He enjoys collaborations and stated that his favorite collaboration was “Tekki Fi” which he did with The Bright Stars. Another song entitled “Fass” stands out as part of his favorite, and this was with Bai Babou. The singer says that “Fass” paved the way for him and explains that the song took him to another level because it was the first song to have hit more than 2 million views within a minimum period. It was after that song that people began to notice him more and for that reason, he developed special emotions for that song.
The singer, although having quite many successful collaborated songs with his fellows in the industry, remains grateful that his first made album which he named after himself stands out as most loved and appreciated by himself and many of his listeners. He describes the album as the most heated.
To the most anticipated, most awaited answer many Gambians await, Barhama reveals the secret behind his good looks. The singer explains that he has been passionate about fashion since his childhood. He always wanted to look good, look different. The reason for this, however, is because his father was a tailor and so he was surrounded by fashionable people and that gave him a taste of fashion at an early age. The singer and son of a tailor were introduced to fine clothes at an early age and he did justice to himself by embracing what surrounded him as part of what defines him. “My father used to say nice /grandbubu/khaftans for me when I was still very little at about 2 years and as I grew older I got more involved in it. The singer’s drive to look different developed from wanting to look unique and not having what everyone else has. The singer’s father had been his dresser for a long time up until now when he started to expand his choices. To keep the family business going, however, the singer’s father advised him to do tailoring as a side job and he approved. Now he doesn’t only have a sense of fashion in dressing up but can design and tailor what he wears if he wants to. His younger brother is good in the art of tailoring and is professional now and so proud of his brother, he is behind the singer’s great looks.
Barhama emphasized the fact that he naturally loves dressing up well and he does this for himself, to feel good and not to impress anybody. “I dress in colors that I feel represents something to me”, ” Numako yegeh lako dé defé” he concludes. So far, he appreciates the fact that people can relate to his mode of dressing and this handed him the majority of votes on the most stylish artist of the year awards and he believes he deserves it.
For current events and plans, the singer is set to promote his album “I Am Barhama”. He is on a media tour and right after the rainy season plans to embark on a countrywide tour purposely to preach the message of peace because this is what he stands for: peace and love. He feels like the importance of peace should be preached to every
The singer explains that he wants to secure the peace that the Gambia has been blessed with. In his tour, he hopes to engage with community people through concerts and day-to-day activities. After the countrywide tour, the singer hopes to go outside the country to do more collaborations and establish connections for plans.
Bob Marley’s lyrics had long been heard by the singer and this was way back in his young adolescent days when his big brothers would play reggae music to him and so it was easy for him to start developing a special emotion for him and it didn’t take long before he became Barhama’s inspiration. He has ampul love for the legend and his main reason is because of the positive impact of Bob Marley’s music on his listeners. According to Barhama, he decided that he wanted to stand for this course, to be able to sing songs that will leave for ages yet able to affect people’s lives. Yusou Ndure is another icon that Barhama looks up to.
The singer’s final words are that people should advocate for peace wherever they find themselves. He urges people to be responsible for the words they utter and work towards contributing to national development. He said that people should avoid blaming the government at all times: it is two ways, we have responsibilities towards our nation just as the government has a responsibility towards us.
Young people especially, the singer, advise that education is key and not necessarily going to the classroom but self-development.
To his fellow artists, he says, ” if music wants you to want to do, be sure that it requires a lot to be out there, a lot to be understood and so don’t be lazy to seek knowledge”. End of the conversation.